The present invention relates generally to the field of electrical switching devices, and, more specifically, to switching systems which allow several multichannel signal sources to switchably share an equalizer connected to an amplifier with multiple input source options.
At the present time an audio system user must manually change patch cord connections between several equalizer input sources and multiple amplifier input source options. In one such setup a phonograph turntable may be the input source to the equalizer while the output of the equalizer is connected to the amplifier phono input. The use of a tape deck will require that the tape deck output be connected to the input of the equalizer while the output of the equalizer must be connected to the tape input of the amplifier. Switching from phono to tape therefore requires the manual re-patching of both equalizer input and output connections.
A number of control switching devices have been proposed including D. Khatri's Touch-Operated Power Control Device (U.S. Pat. No. 4,535,254), and S. Manley's Audio Component Coupler (U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,018). However, both inventions apply only to power switching, not to switching inputs and outputs of intermediary equalizing devices, and therefore do not provide solutions to the equalizer switching dilemma.